My husband and I have just returned from a fabulous holiday in the Maldives. The first week we spent in Sri Lanka, which was also fantastic.
We flew with Sri Lankan airlines and paid the extra few pound (£50 each, each way) on economy plus seats and they were well worth every penny. The flight was super and the food/drink on board was as good as any I have travelled with.
When we landed at Male airport we were met by our Kuoni rep and shown to the speed boat. It was a big boat and only took one and a half hours to get to Kuramathi.
Setting foot on the island was a dream come true for me and I wasn’t disappointed.
I had initially booked a standard room on the all-inclusive option, but all the standard rooms are being knocked and rebuilt into family rooms. Therefore, anyone that has a standard room booked from hereon in do not have to worry. We were put in a deluxe cottage room, which is what you will get at the very least if you booked a standard room. It is just fabulous. A big four-poster bed with plenty of room, a large bathroom, air conditioning and an outdoor shower. Outside each room are small pathways leading to the fabulous beach. Flowers and shrubs are only beautiful.
Behind the reception area are shops - souvenir, marine and jewellry ones. There is also a bus-stop! which when you organise with the reception, a little bus or buggy will bring you to anywhere on the island if you are too tired to walk or if it is dark.
The main restaurant in the Village - The Hargue - is just amazing with all the food served buffet style. The array of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner is unbelievable and you will be guaranteed to find something that you like and are always served with a smile.
The Fung Bar and it’s staff are also amazing. The design alone, with some seating along the beach is brilliant. Beside the bar was the Grill, but that is currently being changed with a new swimming pool being built there - they were tiling it when I was there (5th October). The Beach Bar is to the front of this new swimming pool and is also super ... you can sit on the beach looking up at the stars while sitting on bean bags and getting your drinks (all brands and loads of cocktails) served to you. There was music each evening.
The Stingray feeding takes place at the Blue Lagoon and it is just amazing. This takes place each evening at 6.30, but make sure you arrive around 6 to see the Stingray and Sharks arrive of their own accord.
Now, let’s talk about the spa ... if you are staying on Kuramathi you have to have a treatment, and if possible with your partner. It is truely magnificent. I love getting massages and this one didn’t let me down. My husband and I got a couples one. The whole experience and setting out on the ocean is only magnificent. Don’t be like the couple who went for three weeks, yes paid for three weeks, and the lady told me that the spa was too dear!!!!
I booked into the Village and I am glad we done so. Friends we met in Sri Lanka looked to get into the Village but there were no rooms available and they stayed in the Blue Lagoon. Although a fabulous part of the resort, it was a lot quieter and you found some of the people coming down to the Village for drinks etc.
Our rep said that it will be the middle of January next before all the construction work will be complete and that after that there will be seven standards of rooms on the whole island with the one I was in (Cottage Deluxe Room) being graded only 2!!! Now we all have standards, but I would be quiet happy if I got this room again as I thought it was super and I cannot believe that it will be graded so low ... walk out the door and you are only about 20-30 feet from a magnificent beach and within easy access to all amenities. I also asked our rep about people who have booked their holidays for after November 1st and next year and he said that Kuoni will honour all bookings that were made irrespective of the price increases which are forthcoming with the upgrades.
With reference to the construction work ... please remember that this does not interfere with anybody ... not unless you are a very, very fussy individual who likes to complain about things. To think that someone on one of the reports on TripAdvisor complained about the two towers on the nearby island, makes me laugh. The noise is kept to a minimum and all the construction work is sealed off from view. They even have planting in front of the screening to make it less obvious. People have to understand that these renovations are to benefit the tourist and I cannot wait to return to see the new and upgraded additions.
Sorry for such a long report, but I know people are anxious to know what is going on, but all I can say is that what is there at the moment is superb and if this is going to be improved upon in the next couple of months we are all in for a treat and I can guarantee you that I will return. Truely a piece of unparalleled beauty and paradise ... and some say dreams don’t come true!!!
Please feel free to email me with any questions.

The place was amazing!! Luxury and adventure combined!! Absolute paradise!! It took a while to get used in swimming with blacktip reef sharks that are all over the place!! Food excellent!! Bangalow excellent!! Beaches excellent!! Natural environment excellent!! Staff friently!! All inclusive package a must!!

Just returned from our fifth holiday to the Maldives and this time we thougth we'd try Kuramathi. It was far better than we expected. Food was superb - lots of choice and hot - something rare in the Maldives as they tend not to always serve the meals hot. Beaches were beautiful - clean and white. Great watersports. We saw some of the refurbishments going on but they didnt disturb or upset us at all, we even peeped inside one of their new rooms and was very impressed with the new bathroom - it looked lovely. Fantastic value for money and we're just about to book with Kuoni again for next year and take our four friends with us. Go, try it, you won't be disappointed. Great service and helpful staff on the island - loved the boat trip. Thanks Kuramathi for a very ejoyable holiday.

Its a while since our visit, so I'll stick to a couple of quick facts that might help you if you're doing some preliminary holiday research:

Kuramathi is not billed as a top Maldives resort, but it has a lot going for it. While the Village part of the resort has simple accommodation and main bar/restaurant with more than a bit of "holiday camp" atmosphere about it, up at the other end of this large island is the Blue Lagoon which is significantly better, with nice big semi-detached villas stretching out along the water's edge, on a path leading up to a beautiful deserted sandbar. It is a totally different experience - much quieter and more sophisticated, if that's what you are after. The Cottage Club sits in between the two - literally (in the middle of the island) and metaphorically in terms of accommodation standards.

Blue Lagoon rooms are large and spacious, quite well-appointed. The only let-down (in Maldivian terms) was the bathroom which was tiny, with a tokenistic outdoor shower area which could never be called a garden! Apart from that, extremely comfortable - and great value.

Beyond the accommodation choice, the great thing about Kuramathi is the choice of restaurants and bars. Each section of the resort has it's own restaurant for breakfast/lunch/dinner (if you've booked a meal package) but in addition there are several other restaurants (indian, thai and a grill when we were there) which offer welcome variety and a nice walk to get to them. It's a nice change, too, to be able to go to a different bar in the evening if you feel like it.

The other big plus about Kuramathi was the outstanding dive operation. Here were people who were passionate about diving, giving you a great experience and sharing their extensive knowledge of this particular atoll and its dive sites. Some places we've stayed at in the Maldives have been staffed by dive pro's whose contracts take them from place to place every six months - and their knowledge and attitude is inevitably not on a par with that of someone who knows a place intimately and is running their own business. If you are a diver, do check who runs the dive shop and how long it's been going and how long the staff have been there. It makes as much difference to the quality of your diving as the state of the dive sites, in my opinion.